One of the Boys

Chapter 4: Lucie on the Ground with Diamonds

Devin

_______

Picture yourself in an airport crowded with people,

With echos of chatter, laughter, and greeting, resonating through the air.  

Somebody calls you, and you answer quite slowly,

A girl with green emerald eyes. 

Announcements of monotonous tones,

circling over your head.

People looking for the girl with sun in her eyes,

And she's right there. 

Lucie on the ground with diamonds,

Lucie on the ground with diamonds,

Lucie on the ground with diamonds,

Ah... "Ah..."

"Devin," My twin interrupted my composition of lyrics, a variation of the Beatle's classic Lucie in the Sky with Diamonds. Although the lyrics didn't quite fit in line with the original melody, I knew that the old Lucie would have liked it.

~~~~~

"Play the song,"  Lucie, at the age of eleven, demanded eagerly. She rested her mud covered arms against the stained oak piano in my living room. Her hair had been jaggedly chopped close to her ear after Lucie decided that she was sick of the other neighborhood boys yanking on her pony tail. 

"Play what song?" I asked her with a smile, knowing full well what song she was talking about. 

"That song," she said impatiently and flicked my ear. "Caroline's song." My mother, Caroline, was a former concert pianist and composer. She had taught both Soren and I how to read and play music, but Soren never had the patience to learn and appreciate music. I, on the other hand, took to the piano almost immediately. After spending hours practicing and perfecting Bach and Beethoven, I eventually turned to my mother's own composed pieces. 

Caroline wrote many pieces, but the specific song that Lucie was referring to was the piece that my mom used to play in the living room when all of the McCallister Boys were playing at the house. She said that she wrote it for us, but the McCallister Boys called this song "Caroline's Song" because it reminded us of her before she became sick and too weak to play. 

"Okay okay, " I laughed as Lucie flicked me again. I stretched my fingers out and waited for Lucie to sit down beside me before I began. My hands glided over the black and white keys with ease, having memorized Caroline's song by heart. Lucie hummed the melody in my ear for she too had memorized it. 

"It sounds like Caroline's laugh," Lucie said quietly to herself. "I can't wait until she comes home." My mom was currently in the hospital after her medication seemed to stop helping her. 

"She'll be home soon," I repeated the same words that my father told my brother and I. "My mom is getting better," I said firmly.  Lucie immediately broke into a bright smile and grasped my shoulder. 

"Then she can play the song for us!"

"Yeah, she'll play the song."

~~~~~

"What?" I asked having not listened to what Soren was rambling on about. 

"She's finally home," Soren repeated, exasperated with my lack of attention. 

"Who?"

"Lucie," he smacked the back of my head. "Come on Devin, I'm supposed to be the stupid one." He grinned, then gripped my white t-shirt. I could feel him vibrating with excitement and nervousness. The whole identical twin telepathy was complete bull, but in moments like these, I could understand his emotions perfectly. The anticipation was finally over, and after two years our friend was coming home from London. But was she the same Lucie?

We watched as the girl who claimed to be Lucie bound toward us, dragging two large red suitcases behind her. 

"Hello!" The girl said cheerfully with a strong british accent. "I haven't seen you chaps in ages!"

"Chaps?" I muttered into the ear of my twin, and he suppressed a smile. Lucie's face had lost her baby fat. Her former straight-board athletic figure developed more curves. She looked like an actual girl—no, a young woman. 

"Is that really you?" Kei managed to say, his voice a note higher than what it typically sounded like. Key was unable to hide the obvious amazement, and I couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed for him.  

"Of course it's me," She scowled, using the same expression worn on the same Lucie we had last seen.  "Now are you idiots going to just stand there, or are you going to properly greet me."

Landon was the first to break into a wide grin as he laughed. Somehow in the time of Lucie's first appearance to our long-waited reunion, Landon had tossed his beer can aside.  He opened his arms wide pulling Lucie into a hug, wrapping his long arms around her and grasping the back of her head. "Missed you, Luce."

"Of course you did!" She laughed, her voice sounding like bells, ringing over the static-like noise of the airport. Landon tugged at her bun, and she made a face before punching him in the stomach. He feigned a grimace, and then laughed. "You're beautiful Luce," he said, his voice and face completely serious. 

"Oh shut up," she grinned, but her cheeks turned a light pink at the apples, and she averted his gaze out of shyness. 

"Luce," Clearing my throat, I used Landon's personal nickname for her and ignored his raised eyebrows. "He's not lying. I'd say we nearly mistook you for another person. Not only is your accent deceiving, your whole appearance is a complete 180." I vocalized everyone's opinions aloud, as the outspoken and blunt person I was. That was one trait that I shared alone, perfectly unique, perfectly my own, occasionally getting me into trouble. 

"Devin," A warm smile grew on her face, reflecting my own expression on my face. She called me by my name...my own name. I felt my chest thump for a second and my chest grow light with happiness as I embraced my old friend. 

"Damn," she laughed, standing on her tiptoes to ruffle my messy hair. "You've grown," she wrinkled her nose in dissatisfaction. "You used to be my height."

"In two years a lot could change," I remarked, repeating Kei's words. In reality though, it seemed like the only one who had changed was Lucie herself. It was then Soren's turn to hug her. 

"By the way," Soren said slowly, a grin of mischief revealed on his face. "I'm actually Devin."

"And I'm Soren," I tag-teamed my twin in his little game. Placing her hands on her hip a look of worry flashed across her face. Her arms were slender and her finger tips were manicured and painted.  But as the moment of second-guessing herself quickly appeared, it also disappeared. She immediately scowled and smacked our heads at once, her hand hard and strong like a wooden paddle. 

"Oh shut up, you two. Don't joke around like that, or else I'll feel bad." This was definitely our Lucie. She then burst out laughing, her emerald eyes closing as a look of pure joy appeared on her face. Pulling her arms as wide as she could, she pulled both of us into another hug. "You little freaking devils," she spoke to us in a low voice, as if sharing a deep secret with us, however this was known to the world.Then once releasing us from her hug, she turned toward the last and most expecting person. 

"Kei!" She exclaimed, leaving us to attend to each of her suitcases. I glanced over at Lucie chatting excitedly with him, and Kei scratching the back of his head and nervously smiling. 

"We should start walking to the car," Soren suggested, taking one of her suitcase. I took her other followed beside him. 

"Gosh Lucie's changed," I sighed, speaking quietly so only Soren could hear.

"She's still the same old Lucie," My twin insisted. The roll of the scratched up wheels trailed across the smooth white tiles. 

"That's not what I mean."

"Then what?"

"She's REALLY changed..." I peered over my shoulder and swooped another look at her face and body, especially her body.

"What size do you think she is?" Soren asked, reading my mind. I could only grin and shake my head,

"I don't know. But one thing I know for sure." I paused. "She's not flat chested any more."